Usain Bolt Says He Has ‘Infinite Love’ for His Fans After Injury in Final Race

Jamaica’s Usain Bolt has praised the “infinite love” received from his supporters after his career ended with an injury at the 2017 World Athletics Championships on Saturday night in London.

As Bolt took off with the baton for the final leg of the 4×100-meter relay, he pulled up with a problem. It was a harsh ending for one of the greats of the sport, and he posted the following bulletin on his Instagram account:

Great Britain ended up taking gold ahead of the United States and Japan.

Speaking after the race, Bolt’s Jamaica team-mate Yohan Blake suggested delays to the schedule may have played a part in the injury.

“It was 40 minutes and two medal presentations before our run,” he said, perBBC Sport. “We keep warming up and waiting, then warming up and waiting. I think it got the better of us. It hurts to see a true legend, a true champion go out there and struggle like that.”

Bolt’s final major championships proved to be disappointing, as he also failed to defend his 100-meter individual title, finishing third behind Americans Justin Gatlin and Christian Coleman, respectively.

USA sprint icon Michael Johnson suggested that Bolt should have considered hanging up his spikes up after dominating the sprint events at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro:

Michael Johnson @MJGold

Bolt probably one year too many. Sad to see him go down in his final race. Personally I think he has been amazing for the sport. #Respect

Still, the 30-year-old will walk away from competition as an all-time great, not just in athletics, but the history of all sport. Bolt has won eight Olympic gold medals and is the world-record holder in both the 100-meter and 200-meter sprint events.